Support for the freedom to marry in New Jersey at record high

March 01, 2012

A poll released today by Quinnipac University confirms that Governor Chris Christie's veto of New Jersey's marriage bill was vastly out of touch with the majority of voters in the Garden State. Just weeks after the Legislature passed a marriage bill that Governor Christie promptly vetoed, today's polling shows that a record-high 57% of voters in New Jersey support the freedom to marry for same-sex couples.

Reacting to the good news, our National Campaign Director Marc Solomon released this statement:

“New Jersey voters know that gay and lesbian couples’ exclusion from marriage harms families and helps no one. They’ve seen through their neighbors in New York that extending the freedom to marry boosts the state economy, enhances the quality of life for gay and lesbian couples and their families, and provides them with a critical safety-net of protections. And they know that civil unions are a failed experiment in New Jersey. Freedom to Marry will continue working with Garden State Equality to ensure that legislators whose understanding is still evolving hear from their constituents, join us on the side of fairness and equality for all Garden State families, and override Governor Christie’s veto of the marriage legislation.”

New Jersey currently offers civil union to gay and lesbian couples, although these protections have proven to inadequately protect same-sex couples and their families. Freedom to Marry is fully committed to standing with the majority of New Jersey voters, legislative leaders, and our partners at Garden State Equality to secure the necessary votes to override Governor Christie's veto between now and the end of the legislative session in January 2014.

Freedom to Marry was the campaign to win marriage nationwide. With the Supreme Court victory on June 26, 2015, the work of this strategic campaign – though not the larger movement – was achieved, and Freedom to Marry wound down its operations, closing in early 2016. For inquiries, please email legacy@freedomtomarry.org.